Saturday, October 25, 2008

This is the west side of the house. The future wraparound porch will come to the exterior door seen in this picture.

This is the east end of the house. You can see quite clearly all of the quirky additions that were made over the years.

The farmhouse was built in 1923. It's a simple one and a half story farmhouse that endured a little neglect, some quirky additions, and a very 1970's style 'remodel.' The previous owners were a lovely couple who adored nature. Mr. Winklebleck was a local school teacher and many folks who've come to work on our house, tell us stories about him. He was a very kind man. We've also heard lots of stories about dear sweet Mrs. Winklebleck. She had quite the reputation for feeding any wildlife that came knocking at her door. This included deer, skunk, raccoon, opossum and BEAR. That's right, she fed bear. Right off that back deck.

The home is nestled on 7-acres of land. The serene country setting offers everything we were looking for in a country home...privacy, peace and quiet, oodles of opportunities for long walks just outside our font door and spectacular views of rolling farmland with Mt. Adams as a backdrop.

Although we hadn't set out to necessarily buy a fixer upper, this house had so much potential and offered such a lovely spot in the country, that we decided that it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Upon taking ownership of the property in June of 2006, we immediately began working on our vision for the house.

From the beginning, we knew we'd do the following: 1. Add a shed dormer to make half story into master bedroom, bath, walk-in closet and home office, 2. Add a wraparound porch, 3. New windows and doors throughout, and 4. Spruce up existing kitchen, bath and other rooms. We did in fact accomplish all of these things, but as the blog explains, there was a bit more to it than we anticipated (there always is).

Just to give you an idea of how much more involved our little remodel was, I've included a few of my favorite "During" photos.

The benefit of having a civil engineer for a husband is their ability to survey your property so that it you can properly dig out your house. Notice now that the porch, which you originally stepped down into, is now several feet above ground. The ditch is for underground water drainage. By this time, we had already remodeled most of the downstairs. So at this point, we were waiting for the contractor we hired to begin the second half of the remodel.

Here's the kick-off to the second half of the remodel several months later. A large support beam gets lifted into ridge line by crane. This will support new dormer.

Dormer goes in.

Quirky additions get torn down.

Sagging is found and fixed.

And finally the after...

With new wraparound porch, new dormer and new dining room addition, the front looks much better.

The Marvin windows and Simpson doors create a whole new look to the house.

I love the Emtek door hardware. Amazingly, it's very similar to the original.

This is the east end of the house. It shows the new dining room addition, the removal of dated deck and new dining patio.

This is the west end of the house after new wraparound porch. The window in the half story is the master bathroom window.

This the west end entrance. It offers a great view of Mt. Adams and farmland.

I see where I am going to be spending the next few days... reading your reno posts. I can't believe how lovely your after is, and love the potential of your "before" photo! We too have an old farm house albeit we haven't been able to do quite as much as quickly as you have! Bravo~xx

I am enjoying your blog so very much. I have been browsing through it for the last week. I loved these photo's as it shows how much you have accomplished. I think that the beautiful pictures that I saw in more recent photo's have such soul now that I have read into the history a bit more.

WOW! I just found your blog and love it! The hubby and I bought a 1870's farm house and we have been renovating it all ourselve too. So many times people have wondered how and why? We have been told so many times to tare it down and start from scratch. Oh yes many times we have wanted to, but for some reason we still see what it can be. I love seeing your after photos. We still have 1/2 a house to finish. Our goal was to have it finished by now but we forgot the effect that having had 3 kids in 3 years would have on our ability to work on the house. Our goal is to have the rest of it finished by next Christmas. We are currently living in just 4 rooms. VERY tough for the 5 of us and this stay at home momma. Look forward to your future posts. Thanks for sharing with us!

Hi Trina! Just discovered your blog-LOVE it and really love your style! I am a brand new blogger and I hope to share my restoration journey as well. I have so much to learn about the blog world! In my professional career I actually work as a historic preservation specialist and architectural historian but I never tire of seeing restoration/preservation projects. Thank you for seeing the potential in your old house and for saving it for future generations!

Absolutely love it but have a question. My hubby and I have a 1920 farmhouse and I want to go all white. Actually did on part of the house...walls floors etc. Problem is we have a. Scottie and four indoor/outdoor cats. How do you keep everything clean??? I'm so frustrated Im thinking about going darker but I LOVE white. Help!!!!

I honestly don't think white is that much harder to keep clean than other colors. This is the argument I gave my husband! But really, unless we went with really dark colors, anything neutral shows dirt.

So I say go for it! And I think white makes everything feel crisp and fresh - especially on those days that the dust bunnies are out in full force!

I found your blog a couple of weeks ago and my imagination has been saturated by your aesthetic, recipes and personal grace ever since. I have a 200-year old, stone farmhouse in Vermont and my husband and I have some structural questions about your dormer - we are planning to add one to our "ell." If you are able to contact me personally, my email is: katewrobinson@yahoo.comI would appreciate your advice tremendously. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family.

Trina, I popped over to your blog from The Polohouse. So happy to find you. I went straight to this post to see from whence you've come. LOLAmazing! Kudos to you and your husband for having the vision and the endurance to remodel this farm house. You've done a beautiful job. I'm eager to see more, which is what I plan to do as soon as I hit publish. I'm also adding myself as a new follower and putting you on my sidebar.Sounds like your life is full with two little ones. Enjoy! ~ Sarah

Amazing transformation! I love everything you and your husband have done.We have just purchased our first home in Charleston, SC. I have got lots of decorating to do and just a little construction. I love how "simply beautiful" your decor is.AK xwww.akmagnoliahouse.comPs....I am a new followee....lovely blog.

I love the changes! It looks like it belonged that way all along..just waiting for you to do it. We actually lived in a farmhouse with a view of Mt. Adams when I was in High School...but I'm pretty sure (judging from the trees you have) that ours view was the other side of the mountain...LOL

Hi Trina-- I'm just starting to look for something in Sonoma county. I'm wondering about budgeting for the renovation-- any lessons learned or thoughts ? Your home is gorgeous, what a breathtaking renovation!

This house takes my breath away! It is so beautiful. I've always loved that era of architecture and your home is such a wonderful example of it. Your view of Mt. Adams is exquisite too. My husband and I are newly married and living in the house his great great grandparents built in 1860. Remodeling old houses has always been intriguing to me. You've done a fabulous job.-Janell Happ

Hello,I found your blog while "mad-googling" for the simone print from pottery barn also! I really enjoyed your writings and also have love for nature, homesteading, healthy eating, and old things! My husband and I just bought our first house - a 1939 cape cod style one story. I have never joined a blog before but will have to keep updated with this... very cool!Elissa (Los Angeles)

Oh, I have to send you some pictures of our house, they look similar, even the same color. We are in Southern Oregon and the house was built in 1946. We moved into it in 2006 and found termites, then we began the repair. I can still roll things on the floor towards the fireplace because the contractor didn't completely level it. We've talked about finishing off the attic and adding a dormer. Can't wait to read more of your blog. Love!

Love your blog, Trina! Thanks for sharing your daily adventures. My family and I would love to relocate to Oregon, and fix up an old farmhouse...I grew up on a small farm in a 1904 Victorian home, and would love my children to experience it too! How did you go about finding your fixer-turned-dream home? Would you mind sharing any websites, or connections (realtors, blogs...etc.) That helped you find it with me? My husband is already looking for a job there! :)

Amazing transformation! I just love how casual chic country this is! My husband & I are both from a small town in Iowa. So farm country is what we know. We would love to one day be on a farm in our hometown. For now we are selling our current home & moving back to our little town to completely renovate a 2 bedroom bungalow. Great inspiration here.

What an amazing view! It's no wonder you chose that house. I've been trying to find an old farm house with land and an old barn. I want to fix up the barn for my horses and the house for myself. So far no luck but I'm not giving up yet.

Oh my goodness! The transformation of your home is amazing! What a stunning view of the mountains from your front porch! Your home looks like the dream cottage that I someday envision for myself. For the time being, I'm content in my little 1950's ranch style home. I've embraced my current space and blooming where I'm planted. I love to look at "eye candy" and your home is simply divine!

How do you manage all those light colors with 2 children. I have 2 dogs and white would never work in my home!

Let me just say how incredible this house is and let me follow that by saying that you all are on my husbands out list right now! I have been hunting for an old farmhouse for us to rehab and he insists on building a replica. I am totally in love with your home! Thank you for all of the amazing pictures of the transformation!

what an absolutely precious farmhouse!! and the view is AHmazing.....i'm thrilled to have found your blog b/c I too am revitalizing/remodeling a country farmhouse , just outside Austin. I've written a few posts about our farmhouse, but I hope to start blogging about it more in the coming wks, just haven't had time between design work , holidays, etc....but i hope we both can inspire each other to preserve one of my fave styles of homes....happy holidays!

Oh Trina what a beautiful job you have done, I am in love with your house, and the setting is totally gorgeous. Every so often I've been popping over for my own research as we are about to embark on a major renovation of our own home in Australia. Can I ask what roofing you have used? I love it!If you're interested, pop over to to see what I'm working with at http://ashiplaphome.blogspot.com.au I'd really appreciate to hear what you think?

Hi Trina,Could you tell me the porch paint color you used? I read that it is BM Porch and Floor paint but did not see the color mentioned. We are restoring a 1936 Farmhouse in North Idaho and your house has been a great inspiration.Thanks! Kim